German police raided 15 properties linked to the Last Generation climate activist group Wednesday, seizing assets as part of an investigation into its finances in a sign of growing impatience with disruptive protest tactics also seen in other European countries.
Members of the group have repeatedly blocked roads across Germany in an effort to pressure the government to take more drastic action against climate change. In recent weeks, they have brought traffic to a halt on an almost daily basis in Berlin, gluing themselves to busy intersections and highways. Over the past year, they have also targeted various artworks and exhibits.
The raids, ordered by Munich prosecutors, come days after Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that he thought it was “completely nutty to somehow stick yourself to a painting or on the street.” Leading figures with the environmentalist Green party, part of his governing coalition, have also said the group’s actions are counterproductive.
A spokesperson for Last Generation said that the police searches had hit the group and its supporters hard, but that it wouldn’t let up its activities.
Last Generation has acknowledged in the past that its protests are provocative, but argues that by stirring friction it can encourage debate within society about climate change and the policies necessary to stop it.